Possession 2: DaddyO Missing Moments
by lilyjack00
Summary: Kitty sighed and surreptitiously gave Matt's backside a covert squeeze.  He gave a little yelp and hopped through the door, turning back to shoot her a look.  She simply arched a brow at him and smiled slyly in reply.
1. Chapter 1

Possession 2: _Daddy-O_ Missing Moments

_Author's Note: I lied. I thought I had this story out of my system. But when I completed Chapter 8 of __Possession__, I rewatched __Daddy-O__ to make sure everything fit together nicely, and there were several MM's in that ep just waiting to be filled in. Here they are. _

_This chapter contains plenty of dialogue and plot from the __Gunsmoke__ episode __Daddy-O__, Season 2 (June 1, 1957) written by John Meston._

Doctor Galen Adams hobbled to the door of the U.S. Marshal's Office of Dodge City, Kansas, calling excitedly, "Chester, he's here!" Chester Goode hurriedly limp-hopped outside to greet Marshal Matt Dillon on horseback, returning to Dodge after being out of town for three long weeks.

Doc couldn't wait to deliver the wonderful news to Matt, that while he was away in Hays City attending a trial, their dear mutual friend Kitty Russell had finally turned over a new leaf, closing the deal on purchasing half-interest in the Long Branch Saloon from owner Bill Pence. It gladdened Doc's old heart that Kitty would now be able to cease her efforts to raise the considerable sum of money it had taken to accomplish this feat.

She had scratched and saved to raise most of the cash singlehandedly, through what Doc considered an entirely risky and unfavorable means. But after Kitty was violently attacked in her bedroom by a cruel drifter named Horace Hamilton one unfortunate evening nearly a month ago, Matt and Doc had seen to it that she quickly had access to the remainder of the payment to Pence so that she could quit this dangerous line of work immediately.

It still made Doc's blood boil to recall the injuries inflicted by that sadist Hamilton. It took a special kind of coward to beat up on a defenseless woman. Doc's heart had squeezed in his chest as he examined poor Kitty's injuries-ugly bruises and raw, painful abrasions marring her lovely, young skin. Why, what he wouldn't give to get his hands on the sorry, good-for-nothing degenerate who had hurt her!

Kitty Russell was a brave, independent girl, but it was time for her to stop this foolishness and accept a little help from someone else for a change. Someone who deeply cared for her and who was devoted to her happiness and well-being.

Unfortunately, women in these parts were severely limited in what they could do to earn a decent living, and he'd never been one whit happy with her choice of occupation. Doc loved Kitty dearly, but what in tarnation could he do? She was a grown woman and he had no business ordering her around, even if he had come to think of her as a surrogate daughter. And so he stood by helplessly as she braved the dangers of prostitution: disease, violence, and unwanted pregnancy among the very worst of them. Unfortunately, the danger had become all too frighteningly real to Kitty that ill-fated night. She was dadgum lucky that Matt had been there to intervene.

When he learned from Matt that she'd had a long-term financial plan to get out all along, but was still short a small amount of the necessary funds, Doc couldn't come to her aid fast enough. Kitty had stubbornly insisted that she would repay them both, but Doc could care less, honest-to-Pete, if he ever saw his relatively paltry contribution again. It was a small price to pay for his peace of mind that Kitty was safe and liberated from that unwholesome sort of existence.

Matt had confided that Kitty assured him she would speak with Bill about the purchase the day he left for Hays City. He quietly asked Doc to keep an eye on her for him, and make sure she made good her promise to get the ball rolling on the saloon deal.

Now Doc was elated to be able to inform Matt of the welcome changes that had finally come to pass in his three week absence. Doc and Chester enthusiastically greeted Matt as he got down from his horse, gesturing excitedly to the newly painted sign across Front Street: "Long Branch Saloon: Russell & Pence, Proprietors."

Doc was mightily impressed at Matt's feigned look of surprise when he read the words aloud. Doc, Matt, and Kitty had agreed not to let anyone, even Chester, know about their role in aiding Kitty's purchase of the saloon. Doc nearly chuckled aloud when Matt affected ignorance, "Well, I'll be doggone. Where'd she get that kind of money?"

Doc quickly recovered, "Well, she's been savin' her money! She's smart…she's been savin' it for a long time!" It was vital for Kitty to be taken seriously in Dodge as an independent businesswoman, reliant on no man for her existence. Of course, she could have done it on her own, but following the close call of Horace Hamilton's attack, Matt and Doc insisted that she accept their help. That's what friends were for, they firmly asserted.

As for letting Chester know about their involvement…well, none of them thought that it would remain a secret for too awful long if Chester ever found out. He was a dear friend, but you just never quite knew what was going to come out of Chester's mouth.

"Mr. Dillon, she's been waitin' real proud for you!" Chester fairly beamed at Matt.

"Oh, she has, eh?" Matt hooked his thumbs in his gun belt, threw his shoulders back and grinned.

"I'll go and put your horse away."

"All right, Chester."

Matt and Doc quickly smothered a tiny smile as they glanced knowingly at each other. Neither said a word.

As Chester headed for the stable, Doc finally questioned, "Well, what do you think of it?" Doc knew how much Matt cared for Kitty, and how desperately he had wanted her to buy the Long Branch and therefore cease earning her additional income upstairs in her bedroom.

After Kitty's injury, Matt had spent a great deal of time with her, making sure she woke long enough to eat and that she took her pain medication regularly. Remembering the sight of Matt's boots lying under Kitty's bed, Doc wasn't quite sure how far their relationship extended, but he thought that the two were definitely good for each other.

"Well, I think it's pretty fine, Doc, you know?" Matt beamed contentedly and beat the trail dust off his hat as he replied in his usual understated way. They glanced at each other wordlessly for a moment, and each could see the other's pride in Kitty, and yes, relief that this had come to pass. "Well, I'd better get some of this dust off before I go and meet the influential citizens." Matt headed to his office to spruce up before going to congratulate Kitty on her purchase of the Long Branch.

Jljljljljl


	2. Chapter 2

Possession 2: _Daddy-O_ Missing Moments

_This chapter contains a busload of dialogue and plot from the __Gunsmoke__ episode __Daddy-O__, Season 2 (June 1, 1957) written by John Meston._

Matt grinned widely when he spied his favorite saloon proprietress standing at the end of the bar.

"Well, hello, Marshal!" Bill Pence exclaimed.

The sound of Kitty Russell's merry laugh as she extended welcoming arms made his heart squeeze happily in his chest. She cried warmly, "Hey there, Matt!"

Matt encircled her in an embrace, inhaling the heady scent of her skin and hair after an interminably long absence. Today he appreciatively breathed in her subtle fragrance…like fresh, line-dried linen and prairie flowers in the warm afternoon sun.

In the past three long weeks, he'd missed her more than he could say. He'd lain awake nights, reliving their short, sweet time together as lovers, and he wondered if she were doing the same. He had found it confounded difficult to concentrate during the court trials in Hays City, his thoughts repeatedly drifting to vivid images of Kitty and the soft sounds she made when Matt touched her honeyed skin.

He broke from his reverie and grinned down at her dancing blue eyes, declaring, "Well, I hear you're a big businesswoman now."

"That's right." Her broad smile held secrets meant just for him that raised gooseflesh on his arms.

"That's wonderful…" He was indescribably pleased in that instant, and he shook Bill's hand enthusiastically. "Congratulations, Bill. I hope you both make a million."

He was happy to the tips of his toes that Kitty could run this saloon now, and he would never have to watch dejectedly as she took another man up that staircase to her bedroom again. He would personally see to that.

"Aw, thanks Matt," Kitty smiled.

He exclaimed, "If the price of whiskey hasn't gone up, I'll buy you a drink on it."

Kitty clarified, "Oh, it's gone down, and the first one's on the house."

Bill filled three shot glasses with whiskey. "You got it." He admitted, "I gotta' give her credit—we're making more money than ever."

"Yeah?" Matt's stomach did a happy little flip that Kitty was already experiencing success in her new venture. Everything was gonna' work out just fine.

"Why, come on in, Cuthbert!" Bill greeted the old man as he delivered Kitty a telegram from the depot.

"Russell and Pence, huh?" Matt repeated giddily as he sipped his whiskey, savoring the burn in his throat after the long ride back to Dodge.

"Yeah, I'm the only man in town with a female partner… I mean…a lady partner." Matt and Bill grinned at each other and clinked glasses.

"Oh no." It was Kitty, reading her telegram.

"What's the matter?" Matt questioned.

"Trouble?" Bill joined in.

"Excuse me." A distracted look on her face, Kitty made a quick exit up the stairs to her room.

"What's that all about?" Matt asked Bill worriedly. _Just when things were going Kitty's way…_

"I got no idea, Marshall. She wasn't expecting any news I know of."

"Well, she sure got some. I'll see you in a minute." Matt determinedly headed upstairs to see what had put an unceremonious halt to their celebration.

jljljljljl


	3. Chapter 3

Possession 2: _Daddy-O_ Missing Moments

_This chapter contains plenty of delicious dialogue and plot from the __Gunsmoke__ episode __Daddy-O__, Season 2 (June 1, 1957) written by John Meston with extra juicy bits thrown in by me personally, just for the fun of it._

"Come on in, Matt." Kitty drew open her bedroom door.

Trying hard not to recall what he and Kitty had been doing the last time they were in this room together was difficult, to say the least. Visions came unbidden to his mind of her long red hair flowing down like fire, her slender back arching in passionate abandon beneath him.

But the unsettled look on Kitty's face quickly drew him back to the present situation. As he removed his hat, Matt asked kindheartedly, "What's the trouble? Anything I can help you with?"

"No…no, thanks. It's not bad news." She gave him an uncertain smile.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's my father…"

He exclaimed, "Your father?"

"Yeah, he's comin' here to Dodge tomorrow."

Matt looked incredulous. "Well, I thought your father was lost or something."

Kitty explained, "I've never seen him. He deserted my mother in New Orleans a few months after I was born."

"I remember…you told me that." Matt wondered how it must feel to know that your father didn't want you. One more man in her life that had done her wrong…

"I must've told you about how he was a gambler and worked on the riverboats." Kitty walked to the window and stared out as she spoke. "My mother always said he was a very charming man. The funny thing is she never held it against him, his deserting her. She just always accepted it as the way he was. I think in a strange sort of way, she was proud of him."

Matt thoughtfully considered her words. "Well, how do you feel about him, Kitty?"

"I don't know… Same as my mother, I guess."

Matt wasn't entirely convinced. He swallowed hard as she walked across the floor toward him, her nearness after all this time apart intoxicating as a good glass of aged, smoky bourbon. When she gazed up at him with those enticing sapphire eyes, he had to mentally give himself a shake. "And you say he's coming here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, on the afternoon stage." Sudden apprehension dawned on her features. She anxiously asked, "Matt, would you go with me to meet him? I feel kinda' scared."

He smiled understandingly, "Sure, I'll go with ya'," and placed his hands comfortingly on her shoulders.

"Thanks," she breathed in relief.

Matt tried to imagine what it must feel like to be a woman alone in this part of the country. Kitty had been self-sufficient for so long. Matt felt immensely pleased that he could be there for her now, to support her in her time of need.

He squeezed her shoulders again reassuringly and suddenly became intently aware of the heat of Kitty's body through the soft fabric beneath his hands. She was wearing a floor length dress with demure ruffles at the bodice, fit for a new business owner, instead of the flirty, feathery saloon girl work dresses she so often wore.

His eyes bore into hers. "Did you miss me, Kitty?"

She quietly admitted, "I missed you somethin' awful, Matt."

"I thought about you all the time, even during the dadblame trial!"

She gave a girlish giggle, delighted that she'd been on his mind in Hays City, and he grinned, absurdly happy that he could make her laugh so.

Kitty wordlessly took his hat, hanging it on the bedpost, then slid her hands up his broad chest and around his neck. Her lips barely grazed his, and she whispered in Matt's ear again, "I really did miss you somethin' awful, Cowboy…"

Taking his large, capable hands in hers, she stepped backwards, pulling him inexorably to the bed. She sat down on the edge, reaching up to curl her slim fingers around the tanned skin of the back of his neck, tugging his handsome, rugged face toward hers for a feather-light kiss.

He reached around the small of her back, and gently Matt laid her down on the bed, his kiss deepening with the want of her. Kitty whimpered quietly with need, breaking away from his searching lips just long enough to breathlessly murmur, "Did _you_ miss _me_, Matt?"

"Oh, honey, you have no idea…" Marshal Matt Dillon's hungry mouth began devouring the milky-white skin of Kitty's tender neck as a rapturous sound escaped her throat.

jljljljljl

"Walkin' down the road with a pack on my back, pack on my back, pack on my back…" Chester sang amiably as he climbed the stairs at the Long Branch. He pounded on Miss Kitty's door. "Mr. Dillon!" he called loudly.

Chester heard a faint scrambling sound as he waited, then called, "I hate to bother you, Mr. Dillon, but we got ourselves a situation on our hands…"

Matt jerked the door open and growled, "What in tarnation is it, Chester?" Mr. Dillon looked for all the world like he'd been a' runnin' a foot race.

Chester quickly explained, "Well, you know ol' Tater Bugg, the vegetable man who lives over by the crick? Well, he's a' hollerin' that he's gonna kill Smarty Jones for stealin' his turnips right outta' the field every night for nigh on two weeks now. I think you'd better get on over there afore there's bloodshed."

Mr. Dillon's face looked plum murderous his own self. Chester added with a gulp, "…Mr. Dillon…sir."

Miss Kitty appeared behind Mr. Dillon, hurriedly running her fingers over her hair. "Why, Miss Kitty, don't you look purty today?" Her cheeks were extra rosy and she had soft little curls escaping around her face that looked so sweet and becoming.

Miss Kitty looked heavenward as she smoothed the front of her dress and said, "Thank you kindly, Chester…um, what seems to be the trouble?"

"Well, Miss Kitty, I know you and Mr. Dillon here are busy catchin' up on all the news since he's been gone for so long, but we got us a prickly situation over to the crick… You know ol' Tater Bugg…"

"Alright, alright.." Matt groused. "I'm comin'…"

"Don't fergit yer hat there on the bedpost, Mr. Dillon. Don't want to get sunstroke ridin' out yonder to Tater's house. It's a pretty fur piece."

Matt loudly cleared his throat and grabbed his hat unceremoniously as he strode out of Miss Kitty's door. "Thanks a lot, Chester. I'll see you later, Kitty…"

jljljljljl


	4. Chapter 4

Possession 2: _Daddy-O_ Missing Moments

_This chapter contains scads of dialogue and plot from the __Gunsmoke__ episode __Daddy-O__, Season 2 (June 1, 1957) written by John Meston. And I'm pretty sure I stole another fanfic writer's particular line of Matt's to Kitty that I loved very much, but honestly can't recall where I read it. If you recognize your line, message me and I'll be glad to give you inspirational credit. It was a doozie, so I repeated it a couple of times. P.S. I completely intended for this chapter to remain rated T, but Kitty was a determined girl this time, and she blew it clean into steamy M territory. Consider yourself warned. _

"Do you think he'll really be on it?" Kitty had anxiously asked Matt as they awaited the arrival of the afternoon stage.

Unfortunately for her, Kitty's father _had_ been on the stagecoach that day, and he'd done nothing but upset his daughter from the get-go. From his disapproval of her being the owner of a saloon to not wanting her to walk alone in the town she was well familiar with, Wayne Russell had proven good for nothing but sabotaging his daughter's hard-won self-esteem from the moment he'd arrived in Dodge.

After an unbearably long ride in a buggy through the countryside, Russell confronted her once more about her ownership of the Long Branch. He argued, "It isn't right, Kitty. You're not that kind of woman."

She countered, "Oh, well…what kind of woman am I?"

Self-effacingly, he amended, "I've neglected you, I know, but you are still a lady."

"Am I?" she asked archly.

"Well, of course you are, and you're going to remain one. It's a good thing I came here when I did."

Heatedly, Kitty exclaimed, "Well it just so happens you're too late!" She defended herself vehemently, "I'm not quitting for you or for anybody else. I've had it too rough to give up everything now that I've got a… I've got a chance to live decently and be somebody.

"But I can take care of you, Kitty. I've told you about my freight business…"

"Funny…" she laughed ironically, "you offer me help the first time in my life I don't need it." She turned away, explaining, "I've got to go change my clothes now…"

Kitty unhappily headed back to her room to wash away the dust from their long ride, as well as the bad taste in her mouth after the futile argument with her father. It was sure to be a busy evening at the Long Branch.

jljljljljl

Matt knocked softly on Kitty's door. He heard a voice faintly call, "Come in…"

When Matt entered, he heard quiet splashing behind a wooden screen and quickly froze. Oh lordy, here we go again…

"Come on in, Marshal Dillon. I won't bite…"

Matt spluttered, "How'd you know it was me? What if it had been Ch…?"

"I know your knock by now, Cowboy."

He removed his hat and placed it on the peg behind the door and moved timidly toward the source of the splashing sounds. The last time he'd caught Kitty in the bath, courtesy of Doc's strong medicine, she hadn't been in any condition to…

"Come sit by me, Matt."

Matt distractedly rubbed a hand over his face as he slowly rounded the screen and caught a glimpse of the lovely Miss Russell in all her glory, long, red hair wet and fanning down her back into the bathwater, slender arms wrapped protectively around her knees, cheek resting contemplatively on her forearms. Kitty's expression was preoccupied and brooding.

He gingerly pulled a straight-backed chair near and asked, "What's the matter, Kitty?" as he sat.

"My father…" she sighed.

"Your father?"

"Yeah, he's bound and determined I'm going to get out of the saloon business and come home to New Orleans with him." She added bitterly, "And live like a proper, decent lady…"

Matt shook his head. "I know what you mean. He just left my office. He wanted me to talk you into selling."

"What did you tell him?" As she stretched out and leaned back against the tub, Matt tried awful hard not to be distracted by the tantalizing female flesh he glimpsed beneath the bubbles.

He coughed and then recalled matter-of-factly, "I told him no. That you were your own woman and it was up to you to decide what you wanted. That you could be proud of what you've accomplished in this town."

"Really?" she asked, wide eyes shining.

"Sure, I did." He grinned and ducked his head self-consciously, adding, "I'm proud of you, Kitty. Not many women could do what you've done."

Kitty reached out a dripping hand to gratefully squeeze his. "Thanks, Matt." Her eyes sparkled at him as she sighed and added, "Hand me that pitcher of water, will you? I need to rinse my hair…"

Matt fetched the pitcher, but he then kneeled next to the tub and instructed her, "Lean your head back, Kitty." She gratefully closed her eyes and arched her neck as Matt slowly emptied the pitcher of clean water over her head.

He then picked up her towel and stood next to the tub holding it open expectantly. Kitty contemplatively eyed Matt for the briefest instant, then rose gracefully from the tub, her naked body streaming water like Aphrodite emerging from the foamy sea. Marshal Dillon's legs admittedly felt a bit weak at the intoxicating sight of tiny soap bubbles coursing in fascinating rivulets over Kitty Russell's bewitching curves.

He muttered under his breath, "Oh, what you do to me, woman…" as she gave him a small, beguiling Mona Lisa smile. Wrapping the soft towel around her, he solicitously held her hand as she stepped out of the tub onto another clean towel he'd thoughtfully placed on the floor for her.

She was taken off guard when Matt inexorably pulled the towel from her body with an enigmatic smile. Then he began to carefully dry Kitty's wet, glowing skin himself, slowly and reverently. Wistfully, he commented, "I wanted to do this the last time, but…"

"The last time?" she puzzled.

"Yeah, honey, it's a long story. I'll tell it to you sometime…" Matt was much too busy thoroughly enjoying the task at hand to do much talking.

Kitty shivered with sensual pleasure as he gently massaged her naked body from head to toe. The gooseflesh on her bare skin and the occasional small throaty sounds that escaped from her lips were proof positive that he'd been devoted in his ministrations and left no spot untouched.

When he was finished, Kitty slid her arms around his neck and asked in wonder, not for the first time, "Why are you so good to me, Matt?"

"'Cause you deserve it, honey."

Tears sprang to her eyes at his sweet response, and she tiptoed and kissed him quickly on the lips. She could feel his hardness pressing against her, and Kitty asked mischievously, "Want me to help you with that, Cowboy?"

Matt grinned sheepishly and repeated, more strongly this time, "Oh, what you do to me, woman!"

She kneeled before him, unbuttoning his pants with a tiny, playful smile and a gently arched eyebrow.

"Oh…Kitty, honey, you don't have to…"

Her hot, wet mouth was on him before he could protest, and he was forced to grab the footboard of the bed for support.

"Oh, sweet girl, you…oh lordy…"

Kitty worshipped Matt tirelessly and tenderly with gentle hands, soft lips, nipping teeth and slick tongue. She was his complete and utter undoing. She sweetly loved him until at last he thought he might shatter outright and he cried out hoarsely, "Kitty, stop…"

Kitty urgently arose and pulled him blindly to the bed, pushing him back against the pillows. He emerged from his passion-induced haze in time to see Kitty's beautiful body straddle his hips. She methodically unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it aside to allow her eager mouth access to his well-muscled chest.

Matt reached beneath her and raked probing fingers gently across Kitty's dripping, swollen folds to ensure that she was ready for him, eliciting an ardent cry from her throat. Kitty then slowly and carefully impaled her soft center on Matt's straining hardness, closing her eyes and releasing a deep breath as she willed her muscles to relax and become accustomed to his size.

Matt thought he'd never seen a more enthralling sight as Kitty physically connected with him as one. Her blue eyes opened and gazed into his in wonder at the sensation, and she began to glide over him, slowly and rhythmically, in cadence with their heartbeats. He regained strength enough in his hands to adoringly stroke and fondle her thighs, buttocks, and breasts as he marveled at the sight of this magnificent creature making love to him so fervently and completely.

When Kitty quickened her thrusts until her thighs trembled with the effort, at last Matt cried out with sweet release, his burning seed urgently emptying into Kitty's softness. He trembled violently with the effort, but then moved his hand blindly between their connected bodies to caress Kitty insistently and untiringly until her velvety intimate muscles convulsed around him and she sobbed his name aloud again and again. Kitty collapsed bonelessly on top of his strong chest as Matt stroked the sweat-dampened skin of her back and murmured quietly in her ear, "My sweet, sweet girl… It's so good to be home…"

jljljljljl


	5. Chapter 5

Possession 2: _Daddy-O_ Missing Moments

_This chapter contains a bushel of dialogue and plot from the __Gunsmoke__ episode __Daddy-O__, Season 2 (June 1, 1957) written by John Meston. _

"Well, Matt, you wanna hear the news? I'm leavin'. I'm goin' back to New Orleans. I decided this afternoon."

Matt sat at a table in the Long Branch with Kitty and her father Wayne Russell, stunned senseless at her announcement.

He asked incredulously, "You mean that?"

Kitty beamed happily, "Bill Pence is buying back my share of the place for cash…" Matt noticed Bill standing morosely at the bar with a particularly hang-dog expression on his face, dispiritedly watching the three of them as they talked.

Kitty's father fairly crowed, "We had a long talk this afternoon, Marshal. Kitty finally made up her mind. She's going to do what's right."

"I'm gonna' put the money in my father's freight business, Matt." Matt found the adoring smile she was giving Wayne Russell hard to stomach.

Her father declared, "We're gonna' be great partners, we two. I'm mighty proud of my daughter."

Matt thought Kitty had lost her mind for sure when she acquiesced, "You know he's right, Matt. This isn't any place for a lady. This is my last night in any saloon ever."

"Your last night?" Matt exclaimed.

Kitty pointed out, "Well, there's no sense in putting it off. We're gonna' leave tomorrow."

Matt felt crushed. _Last night?_

As Matt ruminated on the import of Kitty's pronouncement, Russell's voice was a distant nattering in his ear, "Oh that reminds me…the tickets. Will there be anybody at the stage office at this hour? Well if you'll excuse me I'll go take care of it. I'm a proud man…a proud, happy man."

Matt was vaguely aware of Russell sympathetically pounding his shoulder as he departed in triumph to purchase their tickets to New Orleans.

With a forlorn expression, Matt gloomily asked, "So he finally convinced you, huh?"

She gave Matt a watchful smile, "Well, he's a pretty smart talker when he really tries."

"Yeah, I guess he is," Matt grimaced.

"What's the matter, Matt? Don't you like him?" Kitty eyed him cagily.

"It doesn't matter whether I like him or not." Matt admitted, "The point is I don't trust him."

Kitty's expression altered when Matt confirmed her suspicions. "Now we're gettin' someplace."

"What?"

"I don't trust him either. And I'm gonna' need your help. Let's go someplace where we can talk." Kitty led him upstairs to the privacy of her bedroom.

jljljljljl

Matt strode into the bedroom close on Kitty's heels. He backed her into the door, a troubled frown creasing his eyes, "Now, let's get one thing straight…you're not really leaving, right?"

Kitty gulped as she looked up at him. "Of course not, Matt!"

"Dammit, Kitty, you nearly scared me to death."

"I'm sorry, Matt. That act was for my father's benefit."

"Yeah, but you coulda' warned me first!"

"I didn't have time…"

"Holy smokes, I thought you were really leaving."

Kitty coyly gazed at him through sweeping lashes, "You mean you don't want me to leave, Matt?"

"Of course I don't want you to leave, Kitty! For Pete's sake!" He grabbed her and kissed her hard, so hard Kitty figured she'd have the bruises to show for it the next day. She didn't care. She blissfully kissed him right back, wholeheartedly gratified that he'd been so thoroughly unsettled at the thought of her moving back to New Orleans.

When he finally came up for air, she murmured breathlessly, "I'm sorry, Matt, I didn't mean to upset you so. But I really do need your help."

Matt grunted as he reluctantly released her and put some distance between them, the better to discuss her predicament in an undistracted fashion. He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "What can I do to help you?"

"I want him to show his true colors, Matt. Tomorrow afternoon, I want you to meet him at the stage depot and tell him I'll be along shortly…"

Another pressing thought struck Matt as Kitty spoke mid-sentence. "And another thing…I want you to start locking your door, Miss Russell!"

"Locking my door? But…"

"Yeah, anybody could walk in here…and you could be…takin' a bath or…somethin'." He cleared his throat noisily.

"Alright, Matt, I'll start locking my door, I promise."

He glowered at her, "You'd better…"

"Or what?" she asked with delicately raised brows.

"Or _what_?" he repeated.

"You said 'you'd better' and I said 'or what?' She smiled coquettishly at him. "What would happen?"

He growled and wrapped her in an enormous bear hug. "Don't argue with me, young lady, or I'll turn you over my knee…"

"Promise?" she bit her lip and arched one eyebrow at him.

"Kathleen Russell, why I oughta'…"

Kitty squealed as he swept her off her feet and across his lap in the blink of an eye. "Matt, don't you dare!" she protested as he raised his hand threateningly above her backside.

"Mr. Dillon!" A familiar voice called plaintively from the other side of the door.

"Oh hell…" Matt swiped a hand over his face in complete and utter frustration. He bellowed, "WHAT, CHESTER?" as his red-headed prisoner squirmed away.

Kitty snorted in an unladylike fashion and collapsed onto the bed in silent giggles as Chester called, "We got us another unfortunate quandary with ol' Tater and Smarty..."

Matt stalked toward the door while Kitty hissed at him, "Wait a minute, will ya'?" jumping up to straighten her dress.

She stood behind a morose Matt, peeking over his shoulder as he jerked open the door. "Hi, Chester!" she exclaimed nonchalantly, blowing an errant curl off her forehead.

"Well, hello there, Miss Kitty, aren't you looking lovely and rosy as ever? Oh, is that a little bruise you got there on your lip? What on earth happened…?"

"Chester!" barked Matt.

"Yes sir, Mr. Dillon…well, it seems the wives have started in on each other now. There was a terrible incident involving frying pans and rolling pins and what-have-you…and even some week-old bacon grease, from what I hear. It was not a purty sight. Maybe you can come along with me, Mr. Dillon, and I can explain the rest along the way…"

Kitty sighed and surreptitiously gave Matt's backside a covert squeeze. He gave a little yelp and hopped through the door, turning back to shoot her a look. She simply arched a brow at him and smiled slyly in reply.

"You okay, Mr. Dillon?"

"Yeah, Chester, I'm just peachy. I'll see _you_ _later_, young lady," he said pointedly. "And we'll discuss that…matter…that we didn't get around to discussing…before. I promise."

jljljljljl


	6. Chapter 6

Possession 2: _Daddy-O_ Missing Moments

_This chapter contains a smattering of plot from the __Gunsmoke__ episode __Daddy-O__, Season 2 (June 1, 1957) written by John Meston. _

"Kitty?"

"Mmm…?"

"Kitty? I'm sorry… Wake up, honey…"

Kitty rubbed her eyes drowsily so that she could just make out Matt's form leaning over her bed in the moonlit room. "Wh…what is it, Matt? Is something wrong?"

"I told you I'd be back later to discuss the problem with your father…" He cleared his throat. "Here I am…" Matt sighed. "I'm really sorry it's so late, but after I got back from the Bugg farm, there was a brawl out back of the Lady Gay, and Chester and I had to take a whole bunch of cowhands and two saloon girls to the jail. It was a mess, I'll tell you…"

She giggled groggily, and he caressed her sleep-flushed cheek. "Gosh, I'm sorry, honey, but I'm here now… And why in heaven's name is your door still not locked?" He jerked his thumb at the door. "I just waltzed right in here!"

Kitty smiled sleepily at him, "It's not locked because I was waiting for you, silly man." She gave an enormous yawn. "Did Bill let you into the saloon?"

"Yeah… Hey, have you ever thought about putting in an outside entrance to this room? Maybe some stairs leading down to the back alley? So you don't have to be so obvious and go through the public room to…to get here…I mean…"

Beaming happily and raking tousled curls out of her eyes, she said, "I think that's a fine idea, Matthew Dillon." She sat up and patted the bedside. "I'm just pleased you're back."

Matt thought she looked so young and sweet, wearing only a loose, thin, white cotton shift with her hair in a messy braid over one shoulder. A man could get used to this. He sat down with a tired sigh, and she kneeled on the bed behind him, taking off his hat and depositing it on the bedpost. She helped him remove his boots and slide them under the bed, then shrug off his vest and shirt, tossing them on a chair. The pants were the last to go.

She snuggled up behind him, her body still warm from the bedclothes, and nestled her chin on his shoulder. She raked her nails slowly back and forth across his back, causing an involuntary shudder throughout his aching muscles. "Oh, Kitty… "

"Mmm?"

"That feels good."

"Hard night, huh?"

"Yeah…now tell me what is going to happen tomorrow. When your father is ready to leave for New Orleans…"

"Well, I told you I wanted to give him a chance to show his true colors. I'm going to show up for the trip with no money. To see how he reacts. Will you go there with me, Matt? I don't know what to expect…"

"Sure, I'll go with you, Kitty. You think you have a pretty good idea what he'll do?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I don't think he really wants me. I think he only wants my money."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Kitty. Any man would be lucky to have a daughter like you."

"He doesn't think so. He doesn't think I'm a proper lady."

"You're all the lady I'd ever need…"

"Oh, Matt, you're just saying that."

"No, I'm not, honey."

"You're so good to me, Matt. What did I ever do to deserve you?" Matt could see tears shining in her eyes in the moonlight.

"Because you're my sweet girl…" He touched her face softly and drew her near for a kiss. Kitty broke away long enough to wriggle her nightgown up.

Matt helped Kitty pull the shift over her head and asked, "What's this?" It was a key on a green ribbon tied around her neck.

"It's yours."

"Mine?"

"Yeah, yours, Matt. So I can lock my door and you can still get in. Okay?"

"Okay, honey." He pulled the ribbon over her head and looped it around his own neck, hanging over his heart, for safe-keeping.

jljljljljl


	7. Chapter 7

Possession 2: _Daddy-O_ Missing Moments  
>Chapter 7, "Family"<p>

_This chapter contains a passel of dialogue and plot from the __Gunsmoke__ episode __Daddy-O__, Season 2 (June 1, 1957) written by John Meston. _

"What about the money? Did you get it?" Wayne Russell apprehensively queried his impeccably attired daughter who had met him at the stage depot unaccountably empty-handed.

"No, I didn't," Kitty replied airily. Matt watched the exchange warily from a few feet away.

"What?" Russell's face became a mask.

"Well, I changed my mind at the last minute," she explained, smiling coolly. She was secretly testing her father's allegiance. Kitty attempted to appear nonchalant, but she was getting a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach at her father's apparent change in demeanor.

Russell's tone became vaguely menacing. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I got thinking about it last night and I decided I might as well leave it right here in in the Long Branch with Bill Pence. It's a good investment, and I can always come back and sell out if I need to." She was thankful for Matt's comforting presence since she wasn't sure how her father would react to her news.

"Now, look here, Kitty," Russell insisted. "I'm deciding everything for you from now on."

She cajolingly took his arm and drew him toward the door of the conveyance. "We'll talk about it on the stage..."

"No!" Her father jerked roughly from her grasp. Kitty was shocked at the speed at which Russell's attitude changed. Until now, he'd behaved like a perfect gentleman. But luckily, she and Matt had not been fooled by Wayne Russell's charming act. He demanded, "No, we don't go until you get that money."

Kitty asked sadly, "Which is it you really want? Me or the money?"

"That isn't the question. You just do as I say!"

She had heard enough. Kitty's eyes were flashing with years of repressed resentment and bitterness toward the man who had deserted her and her mother. "You haven't changed a bit, have you? Mother always said you'd never change, and she was right." She added accusingly, "And don't tell _me_ you own a freight business in New Orleans…"

"That's enough, Kitty!" Russell grabbed her arm.

Now Matt had had enough. He barked in warning, "Russell!"

"You stay out of this, Marshal. She's my daughter."

Kitty furiously spat out, "And you're just another man to me. And a crook besides."

"You'll be sorry for this, Kitty," Russell admonished.

Kitty's voice quavered with emotion. "I'd be even sorrier if I let you steal my money."

Matt reassured her, "It's alright, Kitty. I think he understands now."

Russell, his face incredulous, suddenly backed away from them in realization, "You're in this together! You had it all planned, didn't you? Didn't you?" He should have known that any daughter of his would be a savvy girl. Way too savvy for the likes of him…

Matt quickly moved to place his hands protectively on Kitty's trembling shoulders.

Suddenly, the stage driver's voice called out, "Hey, anybody goin' on this stage better get in. I'm pullin' out."

Matt interjected, "Well, Russell, you've played it pretty smart so far. Don't disappoint us now. See it through, huh? Play it all the way…" He gave Russell a pointed stare. "…for Kitty's sake."

Kitty's devastation and disappointment was painfully obvious in her expression. "Please, Father." She pleaded, "Please get on that stage. Leave me at least that much pride."

He conceded, "Yes…" Wayne Russell somehow knew that it was useless to stand up to the both of them.

Kitty closed her eyes in anguish as Russell gave his daughter one last bittersweet kiss on the cheek.

Russell murmured, "Goodbye…" He looked as if he wanted to say more. "Kitty?"

Kitty hurriedly cut short any further reply, "Goodbye, father."

Matt wrapped a protective arm around Kitty as they watched her father ride out of Dodge in the stagecoach, murmuring wistfully, "Well, you were right about him, Kitty…"

Then Matt walked Kitty silently back to the Long Branch Saloon.

ljljljljlj

"Miss Kitty!" Bill Pence happily exclaimed. "I thought you was leavin' on the stage…"

"Changed my mind, Bill. Will you take me back?"

Bill had been pretty much dejected at Kitty's apparent desertion of their short-lived partnership. She'd been the best thing to happen to him and the Long Branch since…well, since he'd bought the place.

"Did you hear that, boys?" Bill shouted jubilantly to the saloon's afternoon crowd. "Miss Kitty is stayin' in Dodge!" He quickly poured himself, Kitty, and the Marshal a shot of their best whiskey and raised his glass. "Here's to the best and purtiest business partner in all of Dodge City!" Bill wasn't sure what had transpired between Kitty and her father that afternoon, but he was appreciative of the fact that he himself had definitely come out a winner.

Shouts and glasses were raised around the room. Men laughed and pounded Bill Pence on the back while they beamed and removed their hats and told Miss Kitty how pleased they were that she would be gracing the Long Branch with her presence for a long time to come. It wouldn't have been the same without her, no, not a'tall, they insisted.

Kitty smiled graciously at her well-wishers and gratefully downed her whiskey, then quickly asked Bill for another. Matt knew she was just putting on a brave face. The confrontation with her father had taken a lot out of her. She hadn't uttered a word on their walk back to the saloon. She'd just hung on tight to the supporting arm he offered her.

Kitty whispered in Matt's ear that she needed to be alone for a little while. She made her excuses to Bill, and they watched silently as she gracefully swept up the wooden staircase to her room in a swish of elegant green velvet.

ljljljljlj

Matt resolutely climbed the steps to Kitty's room. He'd only waited downstairs a few minutes before he could stand it no more. He knew she was suffering, and Matt didn't wish for her to suffer alone. Kitty had been alone for far too much of her life, as far as he was concerned. He was bound and determined to do something about that.

He gave a small knock at her door and wasn't surprised when she failed to answer. So he fished a key tied with soft, green satin ribbon out of his pocket and turned it quietly in the lock. Matt found her lying on her side in bed in her delicate, lacy women's underthings, green velvet clothing trailing across the floor where she'd heedlessly discarded them. The sound of Kitty's quiet sobbing wrenched his heart.

Hanging his hat noiselessly on the bedpost and placing his boots on the floor, he carefully slid onto the bed and spooned up behind Kitty's shuddering, feverish body. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and kissed her gently on one bare shoulder. "I'm so sorry, honey," he murmured in her ear, setting off a fresh wave of sobs that wracked her and, in turn, went right through him. He held her more tightly and whispered "Shhh…." softly in her ear for an eternity until her grieving cries slowly lessened in intensity. _Rejected and abandoned by her own father not once…but twice now in her lifetime. _

"I'm sorry, Matt…" Kitty's breath hitched as she attempted to regain her composure.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Kitty. You have every right to be upset." Matt smoothed her mussed curls off her flushed, hot face.

"I hate to be such a bother to you…" she apologized, and his heart ached for this woman who desperately needed someone to lean on.

"You're no bother to me, sweetheart. That's what friends are for…"

She turned her head to look at him and repeated, "Friends?"

"Well, you're my girl, aren't you?" He carefully wiped her streaming tears away with the back of his hand.

"Am I?"

"Sure, you are… You've got to let me take care of you from now on, see?"

"Oh, Matt…" She squirmed around until she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't think anybody has ever looked out for me the way you do." A concerned look crossed her features. "And I don't think of you just as another man…like I said to my father."

"I know, honey. You were just mad. And truthfully, you haven't had a lot of men in your life who've treated you right, so you can pretty much lump them into one category. You've got a right to be mad."

She squeezed his neck more tightly, gratefully and wordlessly kissing his nose.

Matt caressed her arm comfortingly as he continued, "I really am sorry that things didn't work out for you with your father, Kitty. I know how you feel. I told you how I lost my family when I was young, too…"

Kitty's eyes filled with tears anew. "It sure is hard. You know what it's like. Sometimes I just feel so alone…"

Matt stroked her damp cheek with his thumb and then lovingly kissed each of her eyelids in turn. "That's why we've got to stick together, you and me. I'm sorry that you can't depend on your father, honey, but…you've got me."

"Promise?" She gazed into his eyes searchingly, her heart swelling with gratitude.

"I promise." He cupped her chin in one hand and brushed his lips gently against hers, still swollen from crying. "I'll be here for you, Kitty."

"I'll hold you to that, Cowboy," she smiled through her tears, and then nestled her head against his broad chest, reassuring herself with the steady rhythm of Matt's strong, comforting heartbeat in her ear.

ljljljljlj


End file.
